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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9271 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9271

   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent 
    certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program for 
        telehealth services furnished by Indian health programs.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2024

Ms. Leger Fernandez (for herself, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Ruiz, and 
Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make permanent 
    certain telehealth flexibilities under the Medicare program for 
        telehealth services furnished by Indian health programs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Telehealth Access for Tribal 
Communities Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. MAKING PERMANENT CERTAIN TELEHEALTH FLEXIBILITIES UNDER THE 
              MEDICARE PROGRAM FOR TELEHEALTH SERVICES FURNISHED BY 
              INDIAN HEALTH PROGRAMS.

    Section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4)(C)(iii)--
                    (A) by striking ``In the case'' and inserting the 
                following:
                                    ``(I) In general.--In the case''; 
                                and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subclause:
                                    ``(II) Special rule for services 
                                furnished by indian health programs.--
                                With respect to telehealth services 
                                identified in subparagraph (F)(i) as of 
                                the date of the enactment of this 
                                clause furnished on or after January 1, 
                                2025, by an Indian health program (as 
                                defined in section 4 of the Indian 
                                Health Care Improvement Act) or by an 
                                urban Indian organization (as so 
                                defined), or by a physician or 
                                practitioner employed by or under 
                                contract with such a program or 
                                organization, to an eligible telehealth 
                                individual, the term `originating site' 
                                means any site in the United States at 
                                which the eligible telehealth 
                                individual is located at the time the 
                                service is furnished via a 
                                telecommunications system, including 
                                the home of an individual.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (9)--
                    (A) by striking ``In the case'' and inserting the 
                following:
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(B) Special rule for services furnished by indian 
                health programs.--The Secretary shall provide coverage 
                and payment under this part for telehealth services 
                identified in subparagraph (F)(i) as of the date of the 
                enactment of this paragraph that are furnished on or 
                after January 1, 2025, via an audio-only communications 
                system by an Indian health program (as defined in 
                section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act) or 
                by an urban Indian organization (as so defined), or by 
                a physician or practitioner employed by or under 
                contract with such a program or organization, to an 
                eligible telehealth individual. For purposes of the 
                previous sentence, the term `telehealth service' means 
                a telehealth service identified as of the date of the 
                enactment of this paragraph by a HCPCS code (and any 
                succeeding codes) for which the Secretary has not 
                applied the requirements of paragraph (1) and the first 
                sentence of section 410.78(a)(3) of title 42, Code of 
                Federal Regulations, during the emergency period 
                described in subparagraph (A).''.
                                 <all>
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